Electric well-drill.



H. B. DIEHL.

ELECTRIC WELL DRILL.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 29, 1913.

1,083,200. Patented Dec. 30, 1913.

8 SHEETS-SHEET l.

A A ar V0 COLUMBIA PLANocuzAPl-l couwAsfln vu'rou D c H. E. DIEHL.

ELECTRIC WELL DRILL.

APPLIOATION rum) JAN. 29, 1913.

1,083,200 Patented Dec. 30, 1913.

COLUMBIA PLANOORAPH co., WASHINGTON, n. c.

UNITED srA'rns PATENT OFFICE.

HIRAM E. DIEHL, OF LAWTON, OKLAHOMA.

ELECTRIC WELL-DRILL.

Application filed January 29, 1913.

To all whom it may concern Be it knownthat I, HIRAM E. DIEHL, a citizenof the United States, residing at Lawton, in the county of Comanche and5 State of Oklahoma, have invented new and useful Improvements inElectric Well- Drills, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to well drills, and

particularly to electrically operated devices of the class referred to,the object of the invention being to provide means for controlling thecurrent which energizes and deenergizes the plunger retracting solenoid,

combined with means for tripping the current controlling switchmechanism, in order that the current may be automatically cut out whenthe device is not operating properly, as when the reciprocating plunger,

0 which carries the drilling bit, moves beyond its normal degree ofthrust or working stroke.

A further object of the invention is to pro-- vide an indicator whichmay be located at 5 any desired distance from the drill mechanism, andwhich will visibly and audibly indicate whether or not the drill isoperating properly, or failing to operate, the said indicator alsonotifying the operator when 0 the drill becomes stuck and is renderedinoperative for that reason.

WVith the above and other objects in view, the invention consists in theconstruction, combination and arrangement of parts, as will behereinafter more fully described, illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, and pointed out in the claims hereunto appended.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section through theupper portion of the drill, showing the casing, solenoid, bit carryingplunger, switch mechanism, and adj acently located parts. Fig. 2 is asimilar view of the lower section of the drill. Fig. 3 is a sectionalview on an enlarged scale, illustrating the arrangement and operation ofthe switch mechanism and trip. Fig. 4L is a section taken at a rightangle to Fig. 3 and showing the switch mechanism, the switch box beingshown in section. Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view of the indicator.Fig. 6 is a vertical section of the indicator taken at right angles toFig. 5.

In Figs. 1 and 2 I have shown the complete drilling tool, whichcomprises a sectional Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 30, 1913.

Serial No. 744,993.

casing, 1 designating the upper section and 2 the lower section of thecasing, the two sections having a threaded connection, at 3, to enablethem to be disconnected from each other for giving access to theinterior mechanism, and a gasket 4 of rubber or like material beinginterposed between the meeting faces of the sections to provide awatertight joint, it being important to prevent 5 the entrance of waterto the interior of the casing, so as to avoid interference with theelectrical connections and devices, hereinafter described. Extendinglongitudinally and centrally of the casing is a reciprocatory plunger 4,the upper end of which is received slidingly in a tubular core 5,preferably of brass, around which is wound the wire 6 forming asolenoid. In the upper portion of the solenoid is mounted a solid magnetcore 7 the solenoid also comprising the upper and lower heads 8 and 9,respectively. A suspending or supporting rod 10 is threaded, at 11,through the hemi-spherical upper end of the casing 1, as shown in Fig.l, the lower end of said rod being threaded into an extension 12 on theupper head 8. The rod 10 is provided at its outer and upper end wit-h aneye 13, to which a hoist-ing and lowering cable may be attached for thepurpose of lowering the drill into the well and withdrawing the sametherefrom, said cable being also used for properly positioning the drillin the well and dislodging the drilling bit, when the same becomesstuck. At its lower end, the reciprocating plunger 4 is reduced, asshown at 14, and the lower extremity thereof is threaded, as at 15, toenable a bit of any desired formation or construction to be detachablymounted thereon. A stuffing box 16 is also provided at the bottom end ofthe casing section 2 to prevent the entrance of water at that point. Inthe upper portion of the lower section 2 of the casing is mounted aballasting cylinder 17 of metal, and in the lower portion of saidsection is mounted another ballasting cylinder 18, the cylinder 17 beingcentrally bored out to receive the plunger 4, and the lower ballastingcylinder 18 being provided with a relatively larger bore, adapting it toreceive a thrust spring 19 which is interposed between a ring 20 setinto a rabbet in the lower end of the cylinder 17, a shown in Fig. 2,and an abutment ring or collar 21 secured to the plunger 4: by means ofa set screw 22, or its equivalent. In the bottom of the cavity 23 in thecylinder 18 is arranged a cushioning or buffer spring 24, the lower endof which is seated against a shoulder 25, where the cavity 23 is reducedin size to form a bearing for the lower port-ion of the plunger 4. Uponthe upper end of the spring 24 is an impact ring 26 which receives theblow from the collar 21, as the plunger 4 is thrust downwardly. It willbe understood that the thrust spring 19 by its expansive action willimpart the necessary downward thrust to the plunger 4 to effect anoperation of the bit carried by the lower end of said plunger, while thespring 24 will act as a buffer to cushion the downward stroke of theplunger.

While I have shown only a single ring 20 at the upper end of the thrustspring 19, it will be understood that any desired number of rings 20 maybe inserted at the point shown, for the purpose of increasing ordiminishing the tension and thrust of the spring 19 in accordance withthe character of the substratum being operated upon.

27 designates a stationary ring-shaped guide mounted in fixed positionnear the lower end of the upper section 1 of the easing, and provided attwo or more points with inwardly extending ribs or teeth, not shown,which engage guideways or grooves 28 in the opposite sides of theplunger 4, the said grooves 28 being disposed obliquely or spirally ofthe plunger 4, as indicated in Figs. 1 and 3, so that in thereciprocatory movements of the plunger, a partial rotative movement isalso imparted thereto which will assist in the drilling operation of thebit, imparting to the latter a partial boring action.

Mounted fast on the plunger 4 at a suitable point is a collar 29provided with a circumferential flange 29, which is adapted to contactwith an upper switch lever 30, and a lower switch lever 31, theprojecting ends of said levers 30 and 31 being arranged in the path ofthe flange 29 on the collar 29, as clearly shown in Fig. 3.

At one side of the plunger 4 and within the upper casing section 1 is aswitch box 32 having openings in the top and bottom thereof, as shown inFigs. 3 and 4, through which reciprocates a connecting link 33. Thislink is pivotally connected, at 34, to the upper switch lever, and, at35, to the lower switch lever, so that when one of said levers is moved,a corresponding movement is imparted to the other lever.

Mounted fast on the link 33 and operating within the switch box 32 is aswitch block 36 which, in its downward movement, comes into contact withand lies between a pair of oppositely located contacts 37 and 38 whichare in the circuit, hereinafter referred to, and when the link 33 movesupwardly, the block 36 is received between oppositely 10- cated jaws 39and 40 at or near the top of the switch box 32. The switch box 32 andthe levers 30 and 31 are all connected to and supported by a bracketplate 41 secured to the inner wall of the casing section 1, as clearlyshown in Fig. 3. The said bracket plate also carries near its lower enda bracket arm 42 having pivotally mounted thereon, at 43, a trip lever44. This lever is forked, as shown at 45, and provided with two contactfingers or extensions 46 located at opposite sides of the plunger andadapted to be depressed by the flange 29 on the collar 29, when theplunger moves downwardly beyond its normal stroke, for a purpose whichwill hereinafter appear. At the opposite side of the pivot 43, the lever44 has pivotally connected thereto, at 47, a link 48 which is connectedto the pivot 35 of the lever 31, as clearly shown in Fig. 3. The forkedend of the lever is normally upheld by means of an expansive spring 49interposed between a fixed shoulder 50 on the bracket plate 41 and theouter end of the lever 44, 51 designating a guide pin for the spring 49to hold the latter in position.

The indicator illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6 comprises a suitable box orcasing 52 containing a graduated plate or dial 53, and an indicatinghand 54 which is pivotally mounted, at 55, adjacent to the bottom ofsaid casing. Arranged in the lower portion of said casing is a solenoidB, the armature 56 of which is extended, as shown at 57, and hasattached thereto one end of a contractile spring 58, the opposite end ofwhich is connected to a fixed point 59, the tension of the spring 58being normally exerted to withdraw the armature 56 from the solenoid B.The extension 57 of the armature is pivotally connected, at 60, to theindicating hand 54, so that the movement of the armature of the solenoid.and the contractile action of the spring will have the effect of movingthe indicating hand in opposite directions and across the face of thegraduated plate or dial 53. At a suitable point intermediate of the endsof the hand 54 is a contact plate 61 having oppositely located con tacts62 and 63 in spaced relation to each other. From the contact 63 an alarmcircuit wire 64 runs to an alarm bell 65, and from said bell through abattery 66, the return wire 67 leading from the battery to a bearingmember 68 which pivotally supports the indicator hand 54. By theconstruction just described, when the hand 54 touches either one of thecontacts 62 or 63, the alarm bell 65 is sounded, thus notifying theattendant that the current has been interrupted or broken.

69 and 7 0 represent the current or circuit wires which lead from anysuitable source of electrical energy to the mechanism in the followingmanner: The wire 70 leads clownwardly through the indicator casing 52,and passes through the solenoid B, as shown, so as to energize the same,and then out through the bottom of the casing. The wire 69 leadsdownwardly until both wires are combined or brought together adjacent tothe upper casing section 1, said wires being insulated from each other,however, and passing through a stuffing box 71 in the upper end of thecasing section 1, said stufling box being utilized to provide awater-tight joint at such point. The wires then lead downwardly withinthe casing of the drill, one wire leading to the wrapping around thesolenoid A, and then returning to the other wire at a point below thesolenoid, where bot-h wires enter the switch box 32 and connectelectrically to the contacts 37 and 38.

From the foregoing description, it will now be understood that as theplunger 4 is thrust downwardly, during its working stroke by means ofthe expansion spring 19, the collar on the plunger comes into contactwith the lower switch lever 81, thereby moving said lever downwardly anddrawing the switch block 36 between the contacts 37 and 38. This closesthe circuit and energizes the solenoid A, whereupon the plunger isattracted upwardly by the solenoid and restored to the initial end ofits stroke. In such upward movement, the collar on the plunger comesinto contact with the upper switch lever 30, and thereby draws theswitch block 36 out of touch with the contacts 37 and 38. Immediatelythe solenoid is deenergized, and the spring 19 again acts to thrust theplunger downwardly. During this rapid make and break action of thecurrent, the indicating hand 54 is balanced between the spring 58 andthe solenoid B, and stands at the position On in Fig. 1. Should the bitbecome stuck in the downward movement of the plunger, before moving thelever 31 downwardly, the current will be cut off, and, therefore, therewill be no current passing through the solenoid B, thus permitting thespring 58 to draw the hand 54 to the right, until it registers with theword Off. The drilling machine as a whole will then be raised andlowered, until the tool has been dislodged, whereupon it will resume itsoperation and the hand 54 will return to the On position. Should the bitnot be long enough to come into contact with the strata being operatedupon, the collar on the plunger would pass by the lower switch lever,after throwing on the current, and force the trip lever down, thusthrowing off the current, whereupon the indicating hand, by reason ofthe deenergization of the solenoid B, would move to the right andregister with the word Off. Should the bit or tool stick after striking,the current would fiow continuously through the circuit, and suchcontinuous current would act on the solenoid B to fully retract thearmature 56, causing it to entirely overcome the tension of the spring58 and move the indicating hand 54, so as to register with the word Offat the left hand side of Fig. 5. This would indicate that the bit wasstuck, and the operator would thereupon proceed to dislodge the bit bymoving the casing up and down.

The mechanism hereinabove described will be found very useful to theoperator, particularly when the drilling mechanism is considerably belowthe surface of the ground, where the strokes 'of the plunger cannot beheard. As long as the drilling mechanism is operating properly, theindicating hand will stand on the word On, but just as soon as the bitbecomes stuck, the indicator will register with the word Ofl thusvisually indicating the fact, and at the same time the alarm bell 55will be sounded, so as to audibly advise the operator that the drillingmechanism is not operating properly.

WVhat is claimed is:

1. In well drilling apparatus, a drill casing, a reciprocatory bitcarrying plunger, a solenoid for retracting said plunger, a spring forimparting the working stroke to said plunger, a collar on said plunger,and electric switch mechanism embodying upper and lower switch levers, alink connecting said levers, a circuit closing and breaking blockcarried by said link, and an indicator controlled by the same circuitand embodying a solenoid, and an indicating hand influenced thereby inaccordance with the operation and position of the plunger.

2. In well drilling apparatus, a drill casing, a reciprocatory bitcarrying plunger, a solenoid for retracting said plunger, a spring forimparting the working stroke to said plunger, a collar on said plunger,and electric switch mechanism embodying upper and lower switch levers, alink connecting said levers, a circuit closing and breaking blockcarried by said link, and an indicator controlled by the same circuitand embodying a solenoid, and a spring tensioned indicating handinfluenced thereby in accordance with the operation and position of theplunger.

3. In well drilling apparatus, a drill casing, a reciprocatory bitcarrying plunger, a solenoid for retracting said plunger, a spring forimparting the working stroke to said plunger, a collar on said plunger,and electric switch mechanism embodying upper and lower circuit breakingand closing levers in the path of said collar, and a trip lever alsoarranged in the path of said collar and acting to break the current whenthe plunger exceeds its normal working stroke.

4. In well drilling apparatus, a drill casing, a reciprocatory bitcarrying plunger, a

solenoid for retracting said plunger, a spring for imparting the workingstroke to said plunger, a collar on said plunger, electric switchmechanism embodying upper and lower circuit breaking and closing leversin the path of said collar, a trip lever also arranged in the path ofsaid collar and acting to break the current when the plunger eX- ceedsits normal working stroke, and means for restoring said trip lever toits normal position after the collar moves out of contact therewith.

5. In well drilling apparatus, a drill casing, a reciprocatory bitcarrying plunger, a solenoid for retracting said plunger, a spring forimparting the working stroke to said plunger, means for increasing ordecreasing the thrust of said spring, a collar on said plunger, andelectric switch mechanism embodying upper and lower switch levers, alink connecting said levers, a circuit closing and breaking blockcarried by said link, and an indicator controlled by the same circuitand embodying a solenoid, and an indicating hand influenced thereby inaccordance with the operation and position of the plunger.

6. In well drilling apparatus, a drill casing, a reciprocatory bitcarrying plunger, a solenoid for retracting said plunger, a spring forimparting the working stroke to said plunger, a collar on said plunger,electric switch mechanism embodying upper and lower switch levers, alink connecting said levers, a circuit closing and breaking blockcarried by said link, and an indicator controlled by the same circuitand embodying a solenoid, and an indicating hand influenced thereby inaccordance with the operation and position of the plunger, andelectrically operated alarm mechanism controlled by the movement andposition of the indicating hand.

7. In well drilling apparatus, a drill casing, a reciprocatory bitcarrying plunger, a solenoid for retracting said plunger, a spring forimparting the working stroke to said plunger, a collar on said plunger,electric switch mechanism embodying upper and lower circuit breaking andclosing levers in the path of said collar, and an indicator controlledby the same circuit and embodying an indicator hand, a solenoid formoving said hand in one direction, and means for moving said hand in theopposite direction when the current is broken.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

HIRAM E. DIEHL.

WVitnesses:

OWEN MCNALLY, CHAS. G. J OY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G.

